Things appear different from what they are
by DistrictAttorneyoftheTheatre
Summary: The start of a fic. I don't own anything. PG-13 for now, just to be safe.


Catherine smiled at Grissom. His beautiful eyes stuck out in the smoky room. This wasn't the perfect place for a first date, but Grissom said he had a surprise for her. Well, even she didn't get the surprise, this was worth it. She felt him grab her hand and hold it tight. This gave her a feeling of comfort. She was safe for the night. There was not Eddie here to hurt her.

The stage lights came dimmed a little. A teenager came onto the stage. At least she looked like a teenager. Catherine noticed how thin she looked. She couldn't weigh more 80lbs. Her black dress seemed almost, custom made to fit her body. The spaghetti straps just cling there not moving. Her empress waistline didn't seem to help her boobs look better. She had a bruise on her left arm. It was shaped like a handprint. No one else seemed to notice. The girl looked up and out into the crowd. Instantly Catherine knew who she was. This was Doctor Robbins new apprentice, Kashmira. She was soft spoken and only said something when asked a question.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am, as many of you know, Kashmira Lovill. I am only up here for one song tonight. I know some of you are happy about that."

A giant "We love you, Kashmira" Came out of the back of the room.

"Thank-you, guys. As you noticed David and Greg, my loyal fans, are here. Don't pay attention to them."

She gave a small smile. This caused Catherine to catch a glimpse of a covered up bruise. She looked over at Grissom. He had noticed it too.

"I am here because my boss, Mr. Gil Grissom wanted me to sing for his date, Catherine. I'm still trying to find the person that I was a Musical Theatre major at university. Well, I might as well go for it."

She looked down and then started into the song. The words seemed to come out of nowhere. She had a soothing, melodic voice. No one could argue that she didn't deserve the stage. She put all emotion into the song. Catherine didn't want her to stop, but she knew she had to.

_If there were no words_

_No way to speak_

_I would still hear you_

_If there were no tears_

_No way to feel inside_

_I'd still feel for you_

_And even if the sun refused to shine_

_Even if romance ran out of rhyme_

_You would still have my heart until the end of time_

_You're all I need, my love, my Valentine_

_All of my life_

_I have been waiting for_

_All you give to me_

_You've opened my eyes_

_And showed me how to love unselfishly_

_I've dreamed of this a thousand times before_

_But in my dreams I couldn't love you more_

_I will give you my heart_

_Until the end of time..._

_You're all I need, my love, my Valentine_

_And even if the sun refused to shine_

_Even if romance ran out of rhyme_

_You would still have my heart until the end of time_

_'Cause all I need is you, my Valentine_

_You're all I need, my love, my Valentine._

"Thank-you."

The crowd went wild as Kashmira stepped of the stage. Screams of joy came from David and Greg. They seemed like kids in a candy store. Catherine had expected this out of Greg, but not David. He was much like Kashmira, quiet and respectful.

"Thank-you, valentine. I love you."

"You're welcome. I knew you would like it." He kissed her cheek. "I love you too."

"Hey guys!" Greg came running up. "How is the secret couple?"

"Down boy." Catherine rolled her eyes at him. "Why are two here?"

"Um..." Greg was looking around nervously.

"Greg, why are you here?" Grissom looked at him sternly.

"Ok, I'm here for support, and, well, David is here because he's dating her."

"GREG! What are you doing?"

"Telling them about you two."

"Greg! You promised not to say anything."

"Its ok, David. It won't go past us."

"Where is she anyway?"

"I don't know. She'll be out in a minute."

"She was great. Why isn't she like this at work?"

"Her brother."

"Is that how she got those bruises?"

"No ma'am. I fell."

Kashmir came closer. Her dress flowed around her like butterfly wings. She tried to cover up the bruise on her arm with her hand.

"I'm kind of a klutz."

Catherine just smiled. She had been abused before. She knew the signs. Kashmira was lying to save her own life along with her brother's. Catherine had never seen her act in a klutz manner. She was always careful. Of course, she had never noticed the bruises or how thin she was.

Kashmira stood there looking at the floor. She was trying to rub the bruise from her arm, but was unsuccessful. The only thing she was doing was making the bruise bigger. She looked at her watch.

"David, if we don't hurry, we're going to be late. I don't want daddy screaming at me again."

"Wait, you work for me. You don't have to be in for another 3 ½ hours."

"You can tell Ecklie that when you see him. Kashmira and I have been docked a night's pay for being 3 minutes late for the shift he put us on."

"I have to be there on time. Daddy docks me more than a night's pay."

"Wait, let me get this straight. You're Ecklie's daughter. You're the 'black sheep' he's always talking about."

"Yes ma'am."

Greg looked at Kashmira with evil eyes.

"You mean to tell me, I've been supporting you, and you're my enemy's daughter?"

"Yes sir."

"You couldn't get me out of day shift crap as a showing of appreciation."

"No. Unfortunately, daddy doesn't listen to me. I'm not completely sure he knows about David and me."

Without further word they began to say their goodbyes. Each made a little glance at the door as they did.

-----

Grissom and Catherine sat in the SUV watching the rain. Their shift didn't start for another hour. There was no reason for them to show up early. Ecklie would just throw a tantrum and say they were in the way. They both wanted to be there. If only to help David and Kashmira. They had to be going through hell. Ecklie was far worse than Grissom. At least Grissom knew it took time to find answers.

"Catherine, what are you thinking about?"

"Kashmira. Why do you ask?"

"You had that look on your face. That 'something is terribly wrong' look."

"I know she's lying Gil. I can see it in her eyes. Her brother's hurting her and she won't say anything."

"There's a lot more to it than you know. Her brother is only part of the story."

"Is Ecklie hurting her too?"

"Not physically. He abuses her emotionally and mentally. I've heard him call her a 'worthless piece of trash" before."

"So why did she choose to work here?"

"That was Ecklie's choice. He told her that she had to work here. Luckily the only position open was on the night shift. I hired her without looking at the application. I already knew her credentials. She grew up sitting on an autopsy table."

"I don't remember her."

"Do you remember the red-haired five-year-old that sat on Albert's lap and sang songs?"

"Yeah, I remember Anna. Wait that was her. That was Kashmira."

"It's surprising how much they change in 20 years."

"She's actually not that different. She might be a little taller and have black hair, but that's it."

"Gil, should we interfere?"

"Normally I would say no, but I think this has gone too far. I notice a mark close to her spine. It looked like a fresh knife wound. If Jonathan did that, then he would be violating his probation."

"What?"

"Jonathan Ecklie was locked up for accidentally killing his mother. He's out on probation. No knives, guns, or other weaponry."

"So, he might be going back to jail.'

"If she'll admit that it was him. We might also be able to get Ecklie for covering up the fact he knew Jonathan was doing this."

"Grissom, I know you would love for Ecklie to go away, but he won't. He'll always be there. 'There is no protagonist without an antagonist.' You know that."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Kashmira said it to me one day. She was explaining why there was evil in the world. She said bad thing happen because there is good in the world and that without evil the world would be unbalanced. She told me if I wanted to see what it's like in Heaven or Hell all I had to do was look around me."

"She a very intelligent young lady."

They looked at the clock. It was almost time to go to work.

"Shall we go save them from the slavery of work?"

"Definitely."


End file.
